The future of Mrs May

People write in to tell me the Conservatives need to get rid of Mrs May as PM. Others write in to tell me to leave the Conservative party altogether because of the way she has handled Brexit.

I intend to remain a Conservative MP. I was elected as one, and wish to influence the future course of the present government as I was elected to do. I am trying to get the government to stick to the sensible approach to Brexit we jointly set out in the Manifesto in 2017. Any Conservative MP who resigns the party whip loses a vote over Mrs May’s future and loses a vote to choose the next Prime Minister. The fact that the Brexit party has been formed to agree with the line I have been pursuing throughout, seeking an exit without signing the Treaty, does not mean I have to join them. My vote is secure in the Commons for the outcome I have always said may be our best option and they now want anyway.

I voted No confidence in Mrs May when the issue was tested late last year. I had argued against holding such an early Confidence vote as I thought it difficult to win it, but other colleagues wanted to go ahead and did so.

Today there are two movements underway to get the PM to go. The voluntary party has expressed its displeasure and has demanded a special meeting on the subject of her leadership, which is likely to take place soon after the Euro election. An unknown number of MPs have written to the Chairman of the 1922 Committee making clear their lack of confidence in the PM and urging him to tell her to go. If and when he gets to more than half the Parliamentary party it is difficult to see why the PM would continue to hold out against naming the departure day. He is likely to get there quite soon if Mrs May persists with her wish to do a deal with Mr Corbyn to force through the Withdrawal Treaty with even worse terms attached for the future negotiation over our possible exit from the EU in due course. The 1922 Committee would doubtless change its rules and turn a majority of MPs into wanting her to leave into a requirement she leaves. The only way I think she could save her Premiership is to get us out of the EU without signing the Treaty.

Iain Duncan Smith has been leading the movement to get her out, asking in public for a date for her to leave in all circumstances. She has hinted she would leave after getting the Withdrawal Treaty through the Commons, without precisely naming a date. I do not believe she would leave as soon as she passed the Treaty, were that to happen with Labour votes.It would be seen by her and the pro May parts of the press as a great triumph to have got it through against all the odds and against the overwhelming opposition of the voters. Why wouldn’t she then say she was needed to handle talks with the EU based on the Treaty?

Thast is why my best option is she takes us out this month, cancelling the European election. If she fails to do so the pressures should become overwhelming for her to go.

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Why on earth would anyone believe her? She has reneged on every past “promise” she has made in speeches and manifestos.

PS I have received and now read “We Don’t
Believe You”. I was reminded of Goebbels’s definition of the Big Lie and how all was lost if the people ceased to believe it anymore. That is the predicament of today’s elite trying to frighten the populists into doing their bidding. May’s declaration that “Brexit means Brexit” turns out to be a collector’s item for students of The Big Lie. Unless she is removed pronto, the Conservative party is finished.

oldtimer’
The conservative party is already finished. It is not “madwoman May” that is the only problem. It is the rest of the party that hasn’t got rid of her by now. I can’t see myself ever voting Tory again.

Unfortunately, I’m not so sure her written word could (or should) be trusted any more than her spoken word. If the Tory party is to retain any credibility at all in the eyes of the British public they will need to force her out, but it doesn’t look like they have the gumption to actually take that necessary final step. No, it is far more likely that this particular saga will be ongoing for quite a while yet, sad to say.

A man of integrity and strong principles, Sir John’s stated stance comes as no surprise to me. I do however take some comfort in the fact that those very same principles will ultimately be pushed to the limit by the direction taken by the Remain-dominated Tory party, careering down the road to inevitable self destruction and threatening to take the country with it. There will come a point when enough is enough — we’re just not quite there yet.

BREXIT FURY: Leave MP TEARS APART May with eight BRUTAL questions. A BREXITEER MP [J Redwood MP] has torn Prime Minister Theresa May to shreds with eight brutal questions while condemning her and the Government for its failure to deliver Brexit. (Where else could such a headline be from but the Daily Express.)

JR, I expect your constituency chairman is now getting twitchy about funding from CCHQ and what constituency photo ops with party bigwigs he will be allocated.

Reply We do not receive funding from CCHQ and are not on the list of target marginals for support. I pay for my own election leaflets.

Leslie, I think you have made the pertinent point. Every time something goes wrong we are promised: that Leave will get back on track; that this person or that institution – from the 1922 Committee to the EU (!!) will save Leave; that Theresa May will go; etc, etc; if only we will just wait past the next significant event, be it a cabinet meeting, a Parliamentary vote, a conference, or an election.

I am tired of waiting. The three years policy promises are clearly lies. But the assurances that things will change and get better are lies too. We are punch drunk with the unending deceit.

Even written and signed, an agreement can be worthless without a penalty clause for failing to uphold it – particularly if there’s no will to enforce it. In this case, I would suggest escrow for any suriety might also be required.

She threw away her commons majority with her robotic repetition of ‘Strong and Stable Government” and “Brexit mean Brexit” and her idiotic “vote Conservative and we will kick Conservative voters in the teeth” manifesto. She did not even have the courage to take part in TV debate sending dire lefty, Libdim remainer Amber Rudd to do it.

I find it hard to believe that Gavin Williamson said anything about May’s diabetes, is this unpleasant smear from the same vile people who smeared Leadsom in the leadership challenge after she made some totally innocuous comments about herself having children?

Having said that my father in his last few years needed insulin injections and did get rather grumpy and irrational when his glucose levels fell too low.

@DRW; But that would have likely meant a europhile as PM, because the parliamentary numbers would remain unchanged, or another GE that would have almost certainly brought about a 1945 style landslide for Corbyn and Momentum.

Jerry, Theresa May is so unfit to be PM I find it difficult to imagine anybody worse. Leadership is measured in part by honesty, and in part by the ability to bring people with you – that is, actually lead. Mrs May fails on both. You don’t know that another candidate would have been worse – s/he could have been better, even if a Remain. And PMs can change without a GE, as the Major and Brown takeovers indicate.

@NickC; Yes a PM can change without a GE but the Tories have no majority to start with, people suggest the ERG withdraw their support so to force May to resign, but what then, if the eurosceptic right get their way would the europhile ‘wets’ not simply play the same game, and what if the new PM doesn’t meet with the approval of the DUP.

Try actually thinking the problem through, not just keep posting a wish-list of desired outcomes, if it was that simple don’t you think the ERG would have already done exactly what some suggest?!

She will cling on supported by the Labour party so as to totally destroy the Tories.
The idiot Stewart has said that is a price worth paying to keep us shackled to the rotting corpse of the EU
The next leader will be a coronation so you won’t get a vote.

Rory Stewart May’s chief turd polisher on TV and radio. No one is falling for it Rory the voters are not as thick as you and Theresa May think. As we say with Mays (and Heath) 0% support as a good PMs in the YouGov poll. Even the dire John ERM Major got slightly more.

@Ian Wragg; “The next leader will be a coronation so you won’t get a vote.”

Err, you mean like the last leadership election was a coronation, because all the ‘true’ Brexiteers decided to sit back down again (never mind a few who appeared to fall off their chairs before even standing) rather than have their ideas tested by a vote! Hopefully next time such people will have self belief, or at least the guts to see their ideas or personality-test rejected via internal processes of the party!

Jerry, That is a good point – where were the Leave supporting candidates? However Andrea Leadsom (a Leave supporter) was despicably ambushed for a perfectly rational comment. Perhaps Tory MPs should have listened to her rather than panicking.

To clarify your point; Rory Stewart said, essentially, the WA is now in the hands of Mr. Corbyn, if he can give the PLP approval, then the WA is done. So what that means is the UK government has handed, to an avowed Marxist, the economic and political future of our Nation. How can the PCP accept this?

Indeed. She need to be prevented at all costs from forcing the UK into her putrid £39 billion straight jacked treaty at all costs. The Conservative party need to be taken back under the control of the sound wing. MP who have sensible views, want real Westminster democracy to be supreme and have a belief in low taxes, smaller government, cheap energy, law and order and sound economics. The complete opposite of May & Hammond policies.

no people voted – presumably – for the prospectus laid out by the Leave campaign. This focused on taking back control of laws borders and money. A key element of that was an independent trade policy. So whatever else the WA is, it is not Brexit as understood by those who voted for it.

@Richard1; Indeed, but which of the 28 Leave campaign did the people vote for?! Was it the Leave campaign that wanted the UK to leave on WTO terms, the one that wanted us to leave with a comprehensive trade policy that gives as good a deal as our current membership sans what we do not like, or was it the Leave campaign that wanted us to convert our current membership to that akin to how Norway exists outside of the EU but within much of the EU’s trade and social polices etc.

17.4m people voted to leave, that is all, they did not (could not) formally express any opinion on HOW the UK should leave; want to claim a popular majority for How-to leave the EU then best we actually ask the people a How-to question…

Stop trying to hijack democracy, using the name of the people, to suit your own personal political goals.

Vote Leave was a campaigning organisation that supported a “Leave” vote in the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016. On 13 April 2016 it was designated by the Electoral Commission as the OFFICIAL campaign in favour of leaving the European Union in the Referendum.

We all got a leaflet with the main Leave and Remain argument and in addition a remain supporting government booklet delivered to our home. Most people only saw the television debates.

I’m not aware of 28 different leave organisations and in a straw poll no one else in the office heard of any of them. Can you name them and who spoke for each of them?

@APL; Except that Norway is not a member of the “European Union”, so converting our membership to that of a EEA member (and thus being tied to many EU polices) is constant with the Leave vote, is that what you are saying, after all we will have left the “European Union”?!

@a-tracy; If you are saying that “Vote Leave” was the only legally legitimate group who had a right to campaign for a “Leave” result then the other 27 groups who also published manifestos and campaigned for a Leave result should not have done so – is that what you are suggesting – If so the referendum is void and should be rerun.

The fact is, official status did not infer anything other than certain rights and access to £6k worth of public funds for their campaign, nothing more.

Also ignorance then or now is no defence either, even if you are you truly trying to tell us that you have never heard of at least three of those other 27 Leave groups, namely Leave.EU, Grassroots Out, nor Flexcit, considering that I seem to recall they or their key people were regularly mentioned and debated on this site before, during and after the referendum.

As for listing the 27 groups, yes I could, but only with the permission of our host. Or of course you could always do a quick ‘Google’ (or even Wiki) search yourself…

Reply Vote Leave ruled out a Norway solution as not proper leaving. Other campaign groups on both sides of the argument were quite legal as long as they complied with the campaign expense rules. Many people and organisations participated. I seem to remember the Treasury, Bank of England and CBI were on the side of Remain and published material they thought helpful to it.

Bless you Jerry, you must have attended a completely different Referendum vote than I did. As with the leave campaigns, there was nothing on the ballot paper about Norway. So I really don’t have much sympathy for your inability to read and understand the question on the ballot paper. Which was …

Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?

with the responses to the question to be (to be marked with a single (X)):

Remain a member of the European Union
Leave the European Union

You seem to have been issued a completely different ballot. I think you should take that up with the electoral commission and stop whining about it here.

@APL; It is you who, like so many (even europhiles), do not seem to understand what the “European Union” is, legally, under international treaty law.

This whole Brexit mess is because the referendum question was far to simplistic, perhaps intentionally, what ever answer given by the electorate the result could be moulded to suit who or what ever.

It is you @APL who needs to stop whining, or take your own advice. I’m sure the electoral commission will be happy to void the result and rerun the referendum, with better regulation of the Campaign (and hopefully a more meaningful & legally binding question), I doubt you will be though…

Andy, The word Brexit is a contraction of British exit. The dWA is intended to become a treaty. And the WA treaty will lock us back into EU control – from EU trade, to EU laws, to EU courts, to the EU army, to money paid to the EU. So the WA treaty does not result in British exit from the EU. Yet being free of the EU is perfectly possible – as New Zealand demonstrates.

New Zealand is an independent democratic country.
If it decides to develop beneficial trade or defence arrangements with its neighbours then that is up to them.
No one is capable of imposing rules, regulations, directives or laws on them.
Do you even begin to understand the difference between New Zealand and the UK under EU control Peter?

This is what people like you and I think to be correct. However, those who are in love with the EU have a supernatural ability to read parts of our minds that we don’t know exist. Hence the expression “we didn’t know what we were voting for.” Wise up Annette!

@LL, An impossible request (at least in full), the numbers simply do not exist in parliament for what you want, if they you would not be asking for but welcoming the arrival of such polices etc. This is why I believe in a second referendum, asking the How-to question, otherwise the only other way of preventing that awful WA being signed into (international treaty) law is to risk everything on a GE.

Jerry, How the UK leaves the EU is outlined in TEU Article 50 – it is by leaving the EU treaties (Art50/3). An alternative route is also possible using international law rather than the Lisbon exit clause, and that is how I have advocated we should leave the EU since 2013.

No it dose not, A50 is just a process, nothing more, once activated a member state needs to then either A/. agree exit terms with the EU, B/. wait 24 months from date of notification and leave on WTO terms, C/. seek an extension to the process, or D/. revoke the A50 request.

My suggestion of a second referendum would seek majority approval for either A or B, nothing else.

Lifelogic does advocate for a loosening of English spellings, to be fair.

Get rid of they’re, their, there… etc.

My argument against is that these rules and conventions are not difficult to learn and abolishing them panders to those who tolerate the general lowering of IQ in equality. It makes us less able to discern the properly educated from others in a socialist country committed to eradicating advantage rather than remedying disadvantage.

An off topic point, perhaps but one at the heart of all of our present conflicts.

It just slows people down rather pointlessly and there/their/they’re is never really any confusion anyway. They are pronounced the same in the spoken language anyway. Spelling should not be fixed in aspic just as pronunciation is not fixed. Though of course pronouncing “a” as “ar” clearly is a bit wrong! All right/rite/write.

You are clearly correct that if she did get her dreadful Agreement through the Commons, the LAST thing she will do is to step down. She will be emboldened and will certainly push ahead with her crazed appetite for power, doing more deals with Labour. It seems she is so thick-skinned that she does not care that she does not have the confidence of her MPs, her party members or the country generally. You conclude “the pressures should become overwhelming for her to go”, and I say you are wrong. I think she will need to be physically prised out of No 10

Remember when Brown lost the vote and his reluctance to leave No 10. I said at the time they would probably have to prise his fingernails out of the door frame to remove him. I think with May, they would have to remove the door frame as well to get her out.

Brown was definitely not the full shilling, but May’s is several stages worse.

You tell Labour, on the quiet, that you will abstain in any confidence vote on the government. This can be done after the Europarl elections. A motion is put forward, voted on and the government loses. We have a general election and we get a parliament and government that gets us out of the EU.

The problem is that Starmer knows that a lot of Labour MPs outside London would lose to the Brexit Party and he is similar politically to May. They both would happily welch on the referendum and are loyal to the EU. There are too many similar Labour members and MPs for Corbyn to get rid of him.

I agree that having May lead the Conservatives into the election you propose (which she would surely do) would maximise the Brexit Party vote which is a benefit.

John says this:

“If and when he gets to more than half the Parliamentary party it is difficult to see why the PM would continue to hold out against naming the departure day.”

It is not difficult at all to see why May would continue to refuse to leave in this circumstance, all the evidence points to the fact she would just ignore the entire parliamentary party if she had to in order to stay PM.

Perhaps the most idiotic suggestion from the greencrap loons in Parliament is to get rid of gas boilers and heat using electricity. This means that about 50% of the energy is wasted as heat at the power station and would hugely increase demand for electricity (this on top of demand from electric cars). It is far less efficient than using a gas boiler. It is even more insane than importing wood to burn.

Interestingly it rather makes the use of low energy lights rather pointless as the wasted energy by older lighting just usefully (for most of the year) heats the building electrically anyway.

The autobiography of the teenager’s mother, who seems to be influencing the government most at the moment, claims that her daughter has the ability to see carbon dioxide with her own eyes. Let that thought think in.

Pot, kettle, Andy.
(And as far as ”foreign trees” are concerned, perhaps you should research diseases that spread to our island from elsewhere, destroying our native woodland. Nothing to do with ”immigration”. That you believe you score points with your bigotry shows how narrow-minded and ill-informed you are.)

I am always amazed that with this lemming type charge to convert the whole country to be totally reliant on electricity nobody does not seem to stop and think that given a 100% reliance on electricity who ever controls, or an adversary cripples the national power grid can in very short time bring the country to its knees. Too many organisations and government controlled committees are just allowed to preach all this alarmist crap with little or no consideration as to how to implement it. Why should British industry be chained to expensive energy manufacturing costs through our stupid laws when the rest of the world carry on regardless?

Lifelogic, You are indeed correct. The thermal efficiency of modern domestic gas fired condensing boilers exceeds 84%, where even the best natural fueled electricity power station (CCGT) can only achieve c62%.

And as you say domestic electric space heating means many more electricity power plants needed on top of the near doubling required for battery electric cars. The only thing we can say for sure is it won’t happen. But the government will spend a lot of our cash trying.

Indeed but heat pumps are rather expensive to buy and maintain, run on electricity which is rather more expensive than gas and they are slow to respond (so often need to be left on even when out). They have their place in the mix in some suitable situations.

The Conservative Party is tainted by Theresa May’s presence in it. Removing her after she has done the worst damage is not a solution. There are many ways of causing her to cease leadership beyond the formal technique of voting.

Untying the Gordian Knot was achieved efficiently. Find a creative solution. Contributors to this Diary may proffer alternatives for consideration.

Sending her to Coventry is one approach, but too raw. Ponders End or Fair Isle in Shetland might suit. £17 goes to Cancer Research for the best suggestion.

My suggestion is that the ERG approach Corbyn and ask him to set naming May’s departure day as a precondition to him starting negotiations with her about the WA deal – have him tell her the sequence of negotiations must be 1) She agrees a legally binding day she will quit then 2) He will start negotiations about the WA. We know she is such a feeble negotiator that she will readily agree to this precondition.

I think the point has to be made that the eu’s withdrawal agreement is not up for discussion. The labour party is only required to vote for it. The present discussions are about promises to re-word the political declaration. If they should ever get that far the damage will already have been done.

If a person says one thing, and then does something completely different. They are either lying or mentally unbalanced. In my opinion May is both. She should be pensioned off to the House of Lords, and then have to suffer the abolishing of that unelected crowd of spongers.

As a waspi one year older than May, one thing I would hate to see is May, who supports the fact ladies of my age have been denied their pension, wandering off into the sunset on her PM £100K+ pension. She should be made to wait for it like the rest of us. Mind you she is so thick skinned she no doubt will and won’t spare a thought for the millions of women whom she has happily denied their pensions.

Steve, We’re all just waiting until the day she is pushed because she won’t go of her own accord. All it takes is the PCP telling her it’s the end of the road. The fact that they don’t is more the fault of Tory MPs than Mrs May.

Meanwhile it seems that 3/4 of Maternity units have no consultants on site outside normal hours with consequential delays in emergencies and rather more deaths, still born babies, brain damage, death of mother and other problems resulting in the 70% of births that take place outside normal hours. Matt Hancock, one assumes, thinks this is a price worth paying as did Jeremy Hunt. Does it even save the NHS any money – given the litigation cost, compensation costs and the lifetime treatment costs for these unlucky victims?

Lifelogic, We don’t train enough doctors in the UK despite there being an ample supply of high grade A level students willing and eager to enter the university courses. The table of acceptance ratios I’ve seen shows places:applicants to vary between 1:6.9 to 1:18.2. In other words from the quality of candidates we could train twice as many doctors at university and still reject over 80% of applicants. Instead we import doctors who often cannot understand English properly.

Indeed lots of people with A*A*A in the right subjects who are excellent candidates are rejected. While there are many excellent doctors from overseas the statistics do show that on average do have more complaints, litigation and other similar issues.

Outside all the manouvering the only clear clean option is to take us out on WTO terms. The PM has expended so much energy and power to thwart it, that one can only assume that she has the power to do it, given some clear rational thinking on her part. The other options are a political minefield for individuals, the party, and the country. Ultimately it is the future path of the country that should hold sway. The party is an ultimately flexible instrument as we have seen with both main parties. Their future is in their own hands. At the moment they are both grocers selling rotting vegetables.

In a personal sense, I think you will have to await a GE to get a Conservative party you can feel comfortable in. Having the support of your constituents in Wokingham will I hope ensure this. If Nigel Farage is sensible, come the day you will not have to face Brexit party opposition. The performance of very many of your “Friends” honourable or otherwise suggests a very shrunken Conservative party should the present nonsense be allowed to persist.

I would advocate the 1922 Committee finding a way to rid the government of May this week. I do not know what the power balance is between members of the party and MPs, but I would suggest that the soul of the party rests with the members. They are at the front line so listen to them when choosing her replacement.

I think it is clear May won’t take us out before the EU elections unless it is with her Treaty. Therefore your second scenario of her hanging around after the elections seems almost certain. As such, I hope Brexiteers have an organised plan to oust her immediately after. We can’t waste weeks/months more of the rubbish that has been coming from the Conservative party for the last 2 years.

If May goes the Tory remainers will only ensure she is replaced with a more efficient traitor, she is best left in place having antagonised both sides she is beginning to be hated even by her Brussels handlers.

That the PM won the no confidence vote makes it unsurprising that there are still insufficient letters for a move to remove her now. She and Hammond will not move until operations for a rule taking BRINO and a remain supporting successor on in place.

I suspect if Conservative MPs tried to join the Brexit Party it would be bad for the latter, indicating to the electorate that destroying one party doesn’t help as you still get the same people, another INO change. I hope that leave supporting Conservatives will recommend to vote against their party and for the Brexit Party in the European elections, any votes lost to the needed clear message due to those attempting to change the Conservatives from the inside will be detrimental to that clear message.

Correct. BP must block any Conservative MPs from crossing the floor to join them. This is the big mistake Change UK made, the likes of Sourby are unappealing to voters irrespective of whatever flag of convenience they are sailing under.

Sir John, please please don’t let the Withdrawal Treaty become a sensible alternative. It is not that. It is the triumphant proclamation of a victorious conqueror and will bind us into colonial status for ever.
We do not deserve that.

Mrs May seems to have no intention to “take us out”, except via the WA and your co-parliamentarians do not want to “get out” without “a deal” (whatever all those things may be. In addition, there is no one left in Brussels who could act as counterpart in further negotiations, except a bunch of lame duck commissioners.

Given that you know this, you propose to have a leadership contest during a period of extreme political turmoil, since the EU elections will have to fo through. Too late to stop them. Besides, the British peoples (even the English ) have the legal right to enjoy EU elections until the UK’s withdrawal from membership is complete.

If I understand the article in the Sunday Times correctly, May is now completely under the control of the Sir Humphreys. Perhaps we should ask them if they wouldn’t mind giving her the push. Just how many people have to join – rather than just support – the Brexit Party before the Conservative MPs see sense and ditch May? Could I suggest a figure of 100,000?

The only way I think she could save her Premiership is to get us out of the EU without signing the Treaty.

But retaining her premiership is not her goal. Her tenure is over either way and she’s openly offered to go if Olly’s Vassalage Treaty is ratified (she’s clearly already signed a copy of it, as per her refusal to answer Sir Bill’s question about that twice already).

She will destroy the party to which you still cling loyally in order to do that. Her own future will be secured by betraying us to her masters in Brussels, Berlin and Davos.

This is the hill on which her political career will die. The only question is how many corpses she can pile around her, and who will pay the piper.

I am sure you will not listen to others who suggest things that you yourself should do but in Mrs May’s position I would have resigned already. Every PM gets many vocal disparaging comments , however the important matters which face our countries are leading to distressful feedback which she should listen to.

Margaret,
Mrs May has a mission, set in Brussels and Berlin aided and abetted by the UK civil service, which is to keep the UK in the EU. Once you realise that, you can understand why she carries on regardless of the chaos and humiliation because her mission is not yet complete. She carries on serenely because she believes she has almost achieved her goal.

One of the infuriating things about our bankrupt constitution is the sight of MPs who stand on the basis of their Party`s polices implying that they somehow do not .
I am thinking not only of Bluekip, but worse still people like Ruth Davidson (and others ) who smirkily tell old Marr” Well Andrew you know what kind of Conservative I am ..” So what ?!Its your Party you are responsible.
MPs cannot be allowed this duplicity any more , we must have constitutional reform

At last, the necessary reality check for the regular contributors who seem to it is easy to get rid of Leaders of Parties and Prime Ministers.

How ironic that no doubt some of the MPs now screeching about her would have voted for her post Cameron, for entirely the wrong reasons, purely to stop Boris.

The problem as I see it is that she continues to be supported by the MCC, Mays Cabinet Cowards so let them not escape our anger. If Leadsom had shown some courage and with some others had resigned May would have become untenable.

I am afraid JR in this instance your judgement (that she would have been a good leader/PM) has been proved to be wrong by her vacillation. One thing you have to say about May, she’s got guts.

Reply I did not vote for her and never said I expected her to be a good leader.

The problem, JR, is that you are dealing with her as you would an ordinary rational being who is open to logical persuasion.
She has shown by her actions and by her statements that she is neither logical nor rational. What’s left of your voters, a number which I suspect is much smaller than you think, have lost any remaining patience on this issue. If you won’t (not can’t) get her out before the EU elections, you’ll have lost what’s left of your supporters. Daniel Hannan is right on this. All of you Conservative MP frogs are now sitting in boiling water. Your eyes have glazed over. Action is needed immediately, not after the EU elections. Can’t you see the critical urgency?

“The more I read, the more I hear, the more I believe that the PM was stupid enough to put her signature on the WA last November. ”

While I sincerely hope you are wrong, it certainly seems as thought she has some high stake in this matter other than simply her reputation, especially as her political reputation has been destroyed by her repeated attempts to get this through. If she has taken such an action, her removal becomes essential.

However she is also making similar dodgy decisions with regard to 5G and now HS2, so it may simply be a pattern of behaviour – in which case she really is unsuited for office.

Don’t really think she want’s to be there at all, for after all it can’t be a great position to be in, she can’t be enjoying this PM leadership stuff very much, I mean who would want to be in this position right now? I can think of many who would like to be there when the dust settles, many from the ERG, Many in the Labour party, many in the Tory remainer camp – but not right now

No- there is something else at play here for someone wanting to hold onto this job thereby putting themselves in line for so much vile comment, bad press etc- and it’s not just being in the No.10 job?

Probably the first time ever I have agreed 100% with our host, “softly,softly, catchee the monkey”, timing is everything!…

Although, whilst popular on the right, might I suggest IDS finds someone in the centre of the party or even a ‘wet’ to echo his views about TM needing to go now (or at least with a time-line of certainly), otherwise many just see IDS as having a dose of sour milk due to having been ousted himself.

I understand your position Sir John. However the situation is without precedent. A PM who shows no respect for the electorate, democracy, Parliament (which she seems to regard as a tool to use for her own ends) or her Party. So determined is she to get her WA through that no price is too high and she is surrounded by sycophants to assist her.

Every day she remains in office is another opportunity for Mrs May to damage the United Kingdom with the WA + PD.

It is long past the time for May to be asked when she will resign. She has explored every avenue to try and find a way forward for her capitulation treaty and is currently banking on a Marxist leader of the Labour Party to push the UK into the abyss of EU colony status. If last Thursday wasn’t sufficient as a wake-up call then the Tories are beyond help.

Why not break parliamentary protocol and have a mass walkout at PMQs tomorrow?
Alternatively, if our MPs wish to remain anonymous, refrain from asking any questions at all.

It’s not like she ever gives completely honest answers to honest questions.

She is more likely to answer another question, leaving everyone trying to guess what the question was that she is answering. Mantras, tractor statistics, deferring the question for later, and blaming every political party (including her own) for any mess is in her game play.

I can see no reason why you would consider leaving the Conservative Party, I would far rather Nigel Farage join it, be given a knighthood and a safe seat. Regrettably, that is now not going to happen.

Nigel certainly deserves it after his spectacular success in getting Cameron to hold the referendum and his pivotal roll in winning it for us. The Country desperately needs a voice like Nigel’s in the mainstream of British Politics and that means in the House of Commons.

Almost everyone posting here believes May needs to go and go very quickly and take Hammond with her. So who should replace her ?

It’s tempting to insist that it is a Brexiteer, especially after the debacle of the last three years. That probably means Boris, Raab or Javid. Boris’s disastrous period at the Foreign Office should surely rule him out. He would continue May’s only success : making us a laughing stock in the corridors of Europe.

Others like Rees-Mogg or Gove are outsiders with little or no chance of succeeding. Rather ruthlessly, May has ensured that Williamson is out of the running. I don’t believe that any of the other possible candidates have the presentation skills or experience necessary at this stage of their career to be a credible Prime Minister. This especially applies to the rather oily Rory Stewart.

Of those that supported Remain, only Hunt appears to be a proper convert to Brexit. I do have slight reservations, however one only has to compare His performance at the Foreign Office to that of Boris to be reassured. Out of all of the candidates, he is a centrist and the one most likely to convince the Country to vote for a majority Conservative Government at the next General Election.

In a General Election campaign, Hunt’s success in securing an enormous settlement for the Health Service will largely neuter what Labour regards as its strongest policy area.

Above all else, winning the next General Election has to be our overriding objective. Everything else has to come second to that.

Boris had Duncan, Burt, and the mandarins briefing against him all the time. Tugendhat too. I wonder why? Hunt has them briefing in favour of him, in order further to damage Boris. Examine what the two Foreign Secretaries have actually said and done, rather than what is taken out of context and fed to you about them; and don’t be swayed by the lazy MSM.

Jeremy Corbyn and John Mcdonnell are on political manoeuvres saying they will block a bad deal, they will block a no deal.
They piously say their priority is to get the best Brexit deal for jobs and living standards, to underpin our plans to upgrade the economy and invest in every community and region.
A bad deal in the view of many is the Withdrawal Agreement, and as Labour MP’s rejected it three times it must be their view as well.
Why are they now sitting down and talking about compromise on a Customs Union which must end in their voting for the Withdrawal Agreement. It is virtually remaining in the EU for an unknown period without any say.
So they are not going to block a bad deal.
Why aren’t they honest and say they want to ignore the referendum vote to leave the EU?
The fence sitting, shall we, shan’t we have a 2nd referendum, was an attempt to keep both Remain and Leave Labour voters sweet.
So will the few remainers commenting here be happy with the outcome proposed by Labour?

The fact that the Conservative Party has dug this hole so deep with May at the helm means it isn’t capable of running the country in a democratic way, with or without May. There’s something wrong with democracy when a PM can blatantly lie to the electorate on the biggest question of the day, get elected, and do the opposite with the party by and large supporting her. The fact that Labour has done the same is no justification.

We need a complete clear out, and the fact that you’re willing to stick doggedly with such a legacy party when there are better options around means you’re part of that problem, regardless of your stance within their system.

You need to ask yourself whether, had you and others of a like mind got UKIP into the frame properly in 2010, we’d have gone through the pain of the past 9 years with Cameron, Corbyn and May.

Sir Joe, I regret to say that you are right. Theresa May will not step down voluntarily. No mechanism seems to exist within the Tory party to deal with a rogue PM. So the only option is for MPs like JR to leave and form their own Independent Conservatives with the same manifesto they were elected upon. I understand JR does not want to leave his party, but the interests of the nation supersedes that.

Mrs May made herself Dictator at Chequers last year, there is no democratic mandate for her Brexit policy (it contradicts the policy set out in the party manifesto), she is evidently determined to get the Withdrawal Treaty ratified regardless of the cost to her party or the country. This abuse of democracy and constitutional government is unprecedented and very dangerous. She has to be removed from office before she can do any more damage, especially if she forms a Con-Lab pact in order to get the WA through. Sir Graham Brady asking her for an indication of her plans and the non-binding confidence vote by party members on 15th June amount to fiddling while Rome burns (and the mad emperor runs around starting new fires). If she is allowed to remain, she will destroy the Conservative Party and the country. The situation is unprecedented. Decisive action is needed. The 1922 Committee should recognise this and instruct Mrs May to go on “gardening leave” and install a pro-Brexit caretaker leader (such as Iain Duncan Smith) until a permanent successor can be elected.

JR: “Thast is why my best option is she takes us out this month, cancelling the European election. If she fails to do so the pressures should become overwhelming for her to go.”

By which I hope you mean on WTO terms and keep £39bn to spend here in the UK. Wishful thinking, I’m afraid. She won’t do that but she will do all she can to keep the UK subservient to the EU. She is totally untrustworthy and a disgrace to the office of Prime Minister. We read she has now been “scenario planning” for a second referendum – how many times has she ruled that out? More or less than the 108 times she said we would leave the EU on 29th March?
The first round of collateral damage to your party took place last Thursday. More is to come and it is desreved as your MPs have been so weak and feeble in the face of this betrayal.
What is the use of asking her when she will step down? You can’t believe a word she says. She will have to be forced out. She should be removed from office today.

Is there a culture war going on?
As a conservative, what do you want to conserve? Why?
Do you believe that the Conservative party is driven by conservatism or is it another metropolitan liberal vehicle?
What are the forces currently damaging the things you want to conserve?
How can these be resisted?
Do you think that the country has the “intellectual infrastructure” to resist or has the Gramscian march through the institution rendered us defenceless?

Yes, Anthony, we do not have a “Conservative” Party to vote for in the current Cons Party. However, I suspect the Brexit Party will quickly assume that role as its plans develop to become a Party capable of fighting a general election and putting up enough candidates.

They are, by no means, a single issue Party as Sir John claimed yesterday. Yes, the focus over the next fortnight is on Brexit, but there is a very powerful agenda planned to become a fully fledged Party in order to break the two Party system. There will be no false promises in its manifesto, and it will hoover up all those Conservatives deserted by Cameron/May and their “progressive” cultural Marxist agenda, and will dig deep into the Labour vote. I suspect that many commenters on here could write a manifesto in just a couple of minutes which would win a huge following. We voters have been so abused by the Tory Party abandoning its grassroots and often displaying contempt for us that it will not be difficult to construct a manifesto to put things right.

I suggest we look over the pond where a certain President Trump has brought prosperity, lower taxes, higher investment in home industries, restoration of industries run down by the Obama administration, much lower unemployment, huge job opportunities, including for African Americans and Hispanics (a group where many were kept in a vicious cycle of poverty, drugs and crime by the previous administration), restoration of sovereignty, building up the deliberately depleted (by last admin), huge reduction in bureaucracy and stifling regulations. The list is endless.

Hans, What are you talking about? Of course the UK will (nominally) leave without “a deal”. That’s what Theresa May, who you seem to support, claims for her dWA – a withdrawal treaty but no trade deal. And the EU has stated it will not negotiate a trade deal until after we have “left” the existing EU treaties.

A trade deal is what most of the MSM mean by “a deal”. What you mean by “a deal” is anyone’s guess – you seem rather flexible. The dWA is actually an interim treaty which essentially replicates current membership. The EU will only agree a trade deal after the minimum stipulated in the dWA. Parliament can and does change its mind.

Given her reluctance to even accept that there are major flaws with her deal, or that she is destroying the Tory party, and indeed, ignoring what everyone is saying to her, this pressure for her to go needs to be monumental and totally overwhelming or she will just ignore it with blank eyes.
She has let all opposition to her plan simply wash over her up to this time, and she is now adept at riding out storms, which is what she will do unless someone takes her by the arm and walks her out of number 10.
There can be no more faint hearts from the 1922 committee – She has to go, and it must be now!

What hope is there, Bryan, when she will merely be asked to give Sir Graham a date for leaving. That is virtually meaningless as she has proved herself incapable of telling the truth. Sir Graham should be the one in control here, and should be telling her when she has to go. If the Cons Party has any sense, it will be immediately, and failing that immediately after the European elections.

For goodness sake, please can the Conservatives show some principle and courage. As long as May is in post, the message to the electorate is that Tory MPs support her, her behaviour, and her betrayal of Brexit, the UK, and the electorate. I think the Tory Party have gone mad.

Not surprised but disappointed by your piece. May is a disaster. Every move she makes is wrong. Mealy mouth comments about departure dates are indicative of how disconnected MPs are. The upside is she could be causing an upheaval in the long flawed two party monopoly. Its has been politically dishonest for decades. The supreme irony is we may also thank the EU too.

The 1922 Committee, under Brady, has been shown to be a pretty useless organisation, time and time again he has been fobbed off with a load of guff from May, perhaps May giving a resignation date shouldn’t be the only one.

‘Any Conservative MP who resigns the party whip loses a vote over Mrs May’s future and loses a vote to choose the next Prime Minister.’

It is perhaps best to discuss this in terms of ‘power’.
As ever, it is a matter of timing, and numbers.

As I wrote yesterday: ‘You are right in that ‘it needs this government to see it through’. However, there seems little prospect of this happening. This is the trouble. As a result, power, and the opportunity to see it through will move elsewhere in my opinion. And I would like you to move with this ‘power’ so that your talents and dedication are not wasted – relegated to ‘political oblivion’ as Steve Baker writes today in Conservative Home.’

The best option is clearly to leave now, and cancel the European election. May has no intention of doing this. She has to be removed, and moves are afoot to do this. This has to be done this month, not wait until October. Steve Baker suggests the EU election result will be the final straw that will trigger her removal. If this can be done, then the centre of power may still rest with the Conservatives, and in these circumstances it would be sensible for you to remain with them so that you retain influence to elect a pro-Brexit leader who gets us out of the EU before July.

The other thing that is likely to happen this month is a Vote of Confidence brought by Labour. You cannot possibly support the Prime Minister in such a vote. (Another alternative is a Con – Lab deal is put before the House – again, something you obviously cannot support). The Conservative Party will face a General Election. If you cannot change the leader to one you want over this short period then power and the opportunity to leave the EU will shift away from Tory Brexiteers, particularly if Labour win the election..

Leaving now as an individual MP will result in a loss of power and influence, although it might encourage other Tory MPs to join you. Leaving as a block (perhaps 20 to 40 MPs) and either forming the Real Tory party, or joining the Brexit party as a block is an entirely different matter. You then have every chance of winning a General Election in those circumstances, and retaining real power to put through the policies that you and the Country wants.

I think by the end of this month your way forward to retain power and influence will be much clearer.

As I wrote previously ‘The time has come the Walrus said…’
To be a cabbage or a King?

JR. ‘Any Conservative MP who resigns the party whip loses a vote over Mrs May’s future and loses a vote to choose the next Prime Minister.’
While that is true, you (and we) would have a clear conscience. Plus I think you would be listened to by some of the respected ( but sheep) MPs on voting for a fresh PM. BTW .. a vote on her future? She decides, you don’t !

Quite right. Most MPs, the lowest calibre I can remember, are a disgrace. As I remember a man was jailed for throwing an egg at Corbyn whilst our legislators can hardly contain their glee because someone with whom they disagree has been physically abused. What does that tell us about how they regard our safety? Just like their failure to uphold the very democracy they have been entrusted to defend they don’t care and are beneath contempt.

Another humiliation on 23 May will simply lead to another speech full of lies and fake sincerity followed by cave-ins to anyone who helps her get her surrender agreement through Parliament. She won’t go anywhere until she has or until she’s forced out somehow.

Her desperation to give money to the EU in order to keep it afloat means that for reasons as yet unpublicised she absolutely has to get this deal through. The Con party is doing nothing to relieve us of this albatross therefore the Brexit Party is the only potential saviour. Most people of my mind would prefer to see proper conservatives join the BP then turn it into a proper Conservative party with conservative values and policies. As it stands now the Tory party is just Lib Dem 2.

I agree with your assessment, too many voices have been clamouring for immediate action, at the time I often agreed with them, like the confidence vote it clearly was too early though.

The problem is that a small but significant percentage support Mrs May in the conservative party, if they failed to support a pro-brexit leader then a GE would be needed, one that would justifiably would not be kind to the conservatives.

Getting us out on WTO terms kills the brexit party, doing so without a EU election will likely make it politically still born.

Unfortunately the remainers still do not realise the game is up, but probably the most important politician of the age is chipping away at the one strut that will bring it all down – labour.

They sit on the fence and are all things to all men, if they have to choose though then he would choose the majority – brexit. The withdrawal deal will not do, once aversion to it is made public I expect him to demand the PM renegotiates, and we know the EU response to that. I doubt he would support revoking article 50 either, why declare for remain and let the conservatives off the hook.

That leaves the only option as WTO brexit, either now by the conservative party or after a GE by the brexit party. The logic is inescapable, it just needs time to sink in, I would prefer earlier, but the delay has gotten rid of a lot of deadwood (hard line remainers) from the conservative party and pushed it into a position where a real leader is needed – that may well be very good news for the years ahead.

There is no point contesting the seats of the so-called “Spartans”, or of any
other MPs, such as Kate Hoey, who have defended democracy independently of party
membership. Given Mr. Farage’s exit from the stage after the referendum, what
makes us sure he would be commited to finishing the job this time? For three
years we have been given the runaround. We need convincing candidates.

It is very clear she should have been got rid of after the 2017 election when her inadequacies became starkly apparent. Then after the agreement to set the Irish backstop trap in stone. Then after the Chequers statement of Brino. So by the time the challenge came in late 18 it really was rather late. Of course if someone in a senior position is inadequate they need to be replaced immediately. That’s the way it is in most walks of life. I fear that Brexit supporting Tory MPs were far to sanguine for far too long about Mrs May.

Blame shouldn’t just stop at Brexiteers. Someone who voted Remain should also still be able to look at the situation rationally and see that May is and always has been wholly inadequate. All Conservative MPs bare partial responsibility for the last two years.

The 1922 Committee under Graham Brady have proved utterly useless. First he rushed through the vote of no confidence and second he abstained on changing the rules to get her out. The woman is unbelievable and devoid of pride or any sense of doing the right thing else she would go immediately but is so thick skinned and deluded thanks to the support of the payroll and Brady and refuses to budge. This despite the majority of grass roots, Tory voters, local associations, Tory MPs etc. wanting her gone immediately.

Just as with the electorate she is sticking her two fingers up at you John and it is blatantly clear that she will not listen to you or your fellow Brexiteers and no doubt will now do a stitch up deal with Corbyn trying to tie the hands of her successor for years to come.

I admire your style as we all do but thanks to May, first there won’t be a Conservative party soon for you to be an MP in and secondly although you are a true Conservative, you are in the minority in a party which is now anything but.

”…it is difficult to see why the PM would continue…” Yes, it is. But she has up until now, pursuing a course she MUST know is unpopular, to say the very least. The difficult thing is to see why it is THIS particular course she is following, knowing full well it is not Brexit (as she’s not stupid, though we’d prefer to believe she is, rather than the alternative).

If she has a hidden agenda, besides power for its own sake, then perhaps one day all will be revealed. If the EU would ever allow such transparency, that is.

May should not be asked to give a date for stepping down as we can no longer trust her word.

Now we have reached this stage it should not be in her hands, but in Sir Graham Brady’s, to say when she is going.

May should not be allowed to proceed with Labour to destroy Brexit by pushing through the WA, which is not Brexit.

If her talks with Corbyn fail, she is then going on to the second Referendum tack apparently according to Caroline Bell, the anonymous civil servant. Plans are apparently well advanced. This is another attempt to destroy Brexit and should not be allowed.

She should be removed straight after the European elections when another very clear message will be sent to the Cons Party and the EU that the people do not accept May’s complete capitulation to the EU. Speed is of the essence to enable a Brexiter MP to become PM and effect Brexit.

I do not agree with you, Sir John, that the European elections should be cancelled. It is vital, after all this deception and the full blown assault on Brexit by the PM and Remainer MPs and turncoat formerly Brexiter MPs, that the people are given a Party to vote for which actually represents them.

Tory MPs seem terrified of the elections going ahead as they know what is likely to happen. I believe it is the only way that an arrogant and out of touch political elite will actually start to listen to the message of voters, and it will not give them the opportunity to falsely interpret the results. The message will be crystal clear. Having the European elections will completely destroy the remnants of any arguments for a second referendum. In a second referendum we will likely be given a false choice, whereas the choice is absolutely clear in the European elections.

Tory MPs, by fighting against European elections, are only delaying the inevitable message that they are going to get. Also by running away from these elections, saying that they should not be held, suggests to the electorate that Tory politicians are running scared. That may not be the case with all MPs, but in politics perception is everything.

Reply I wanted the election cancelled so we automatically exit the EU this month with no Agreement

I agree with the points you make, especially ‘The only way I think she could save her Premiership is to get us out of the EU without signing the Treaty.’

The problem is that she truly believes that her WA is what is best for the country. Given that she is a remainer and believes that being part of the EU is where the UK’s destiny lies, she will not give up power easily or willing.

There are many in Parliament who seem to be of the opinion that they can’t do anything regarding Brexit ” Because there isn’t the support in Parliament to do it”.

The limiting factor is actually what is acceptable to the people of this Country and Parliament needs to understand that if they act as an obstacle to the implementation of the Referendum result, the people will ,(one way or another) move Parliament out of the way.

The question facing MPs is one of Democratic principle, far surpassing Brexit in importance.

Are we a Country which is governed democratically, or will we allow outside influences to have a permanent veto over any referendum or election result they do not like?

I for one have no intention of quietly allowing my vote to be vetoed by the BBC or any other EU apparatchik.

Thanks a bunch Tory Party.
Not only failed to take us out of the EU but also consigned us to a communist future (future?).
“Lend me your vote” ( and I will rip it up under your nose!).
All a price worth paying to not leave the EU?

It is unthinkable that the issue at the moment is merely about May naming her day of departure. Firstly, if May is not sent packing immediately she and her crew of like minded leftist traitors will continue to do enormous harm to this country, to add to what they have done already. Secondly, May is a congenital liar and and the only thing that could be believed about her leaving is she has no intention of doing it and will cling on by her fingertips unless she is forcibly dragged out of Downing Street.

She wants us to sign up to an international treaty with the EU where we accept EU laws, taxation, fines and policies (immigration/environment/energy/foreign etc.) with no representation or veto and from which there is no lawful exit (according to the AG).

She wants us to break away from our allies by allowing the Chinese access to our 5G infrastructure and thus damaging our security.

If the Conservative Party do not change the leadership rules and remove Mrs. May this week then I can see Mrs. May/the EU/the Civil Service finding a way to cancel the EU MEP elections.

The Conservative Party will be held accountable by the electorate. That is if future elections will mean anything as it may then be too late.

My advice is that T.M. needs to be removed immediately as PM. She will never never go of her own accord and is determined to get her dreadful W.A./Treaty passsed at any price. She has abandoned every promise and principle in pursuit of this. She is destroying the Tory party from within. T.M. in my opinion is a seriously deluded person if she thinks a stitch up with Corbyn is going to get Tory voters back on side. It is never going to happen. I greatly admire your stance and principles Mr Redwood on Brexit and believe only a WTO Brexit will satisfy leave voters now. Your eight questions to ask are spot on and a government led inquiry into this debacle in years to come will show TM as the worst British PM ever. She is totally gutless and has belittled our great country. As I said at the beginning- she needs to be removed NOW! Please act quickly for the sake of our country.

I’ve just been told by a young lady at work that her father was in A&E 10 hours yesterday evening into the early hours of today because he’d pulled his back out lifting awkwardly in a Garden centre on the bank holiday, 10 hours to give him a prescription for a strong painkiller that he can’t buy for himself at a pharmacist. I thought A&E triaged, how long does it take to prescribe someone a pill?

They say first port of call is the pharmacist. I tried that a couple of weeks ago and was advised to see my doctor! Waste of time . Current waiting time 4 weeks. It is about time pharmacists were allowed to prescribe stuff like pain killers, but it is all just another government do-nothing ruse.

Bigneil. Yes, have you noticed how the unrest in Europe isn’t reported on and suddenly there is no mention of illegal immigrants coming over in boats. It’s the better weather so you can bet there are hundreds still arriving. We only hear that the British are disgruntled and that is far from being the case. Let’s have some truth about how other nations are faring.

I watched the1979 Election Campaign coverage on BBC Parliament last night .
This was the one that brought Margaret Thatcher to power .

Chaired by a very young David Dimbleby and featuring politicians from all sides .
I was struck by how very patriotic , gracious and generous politicians were then .
Merlyn Rees , Home Office , made a particular point of complimenting Margaret Thatcher on her ability to communicate with the workers and all of society .
Lady Falkender did the same .

Norman StJohn Stevas was genuinely upset that Shirley Williams had lost her seat, as he had the greatest regard for her .

It was a pleasure to listen to complete paragraphs spoken without interruption ,reflections on the direction of politics and how everyone looked forward to brighter future .

The reality is ordinary folks see Theresa May differently from the Westminster perspective and see that she is no more credible than David Cameron and brand Conservative washing powder who promised to wash the EU out of our lives but has now not only delayed the wash but backtracking on its original claims to honour the promise.

This once in a lifetime massive commitment called Brexit was sold and perceived as a cast iron guarantee to change the country and despite all the negatives we can take it. When Cameron jumped ship trust was broken and May’s attempts to paper over the cracks going continually against the grain for 3 years are just too much for credibility.

May hijacked Brexit watered down and poisoned it and has substituted another product called Withdrawal Agreement outsourced from the EU/Germany which forces us to a permanent legal contract to supply how we will not wash this EU strain from our lives but actually dose us with even more EU in the future! What a nonsense, what a shower!

We want our country’s sovereignty back as it’s throwing good money after bad and while you are at it fire the errant Directors and appropriate their assets just like xxxx and other corporate swindlers.

Some things don’t change in a decade and more – Mrs May in 2002, when Chair said:

“The public are losing faith in politics. Politicians are seen as untrustworthy and hypocritical. We talk a different language. We live in a different world….Promising too much and delivering too little. Spinning and counter spinning. Pursuing our obsessions instead of fighting for the common good. Fewer and fewer people are bothering to vote. Why? Because they think that politicians will do exactly what they like…Our party is at its best when it takes Conservative principles and applies them to the modern world. It is at its worst when it tries to recreate a bygone age. We cannot bring back the past. We can work together to make today and tomorrow’s world a better place….
And when our case is heard, it beats our opponents’ every time.

Because while they believe in control we believe in freedom.

While they believe in uniformity we believe in choice.

While they trust politicians we trust the people.

And that will always be the difference between us…..

We exist today because Conservatives of the past understood the need to innovate, to broaden, to be where the people are. Change was our ally and can be so again.”
….
“While they trust politicians we trust the people.” So it appears she didn’t believe this then and she doesn’t now that she can do something about it. She has been told over and over by her own colleagues and the public that her WA doesn’t give the UK freedom, choice or control in the future. So what are we told Mrs May wants to do, go against the public (she should have stood at the general election 2017 giving people a second vote if your party and the majority of the Labour Party didn’t want to honour the first) and she was told by her own MPs the WA wasn’t acceptable to them but this has been ignored ‘no deal is better than a bad deal” was a lie and now we are told she will do a stitch-up deal with Labour. The only reason she wants to do this is to share the blame for the following capitulation to the EU that will see us tied up in knots then it becomes a Tory/Labour Brexit with an agreed people’s vote to overturn it.

I have to question why once again you are saying “my best option is she takes us out this month, cancelling the European election.”

I’m assuming here that you haven’t changed your mind and are now prepared to vote for the Withdrawal Agreement if she brings it back for a fourth vote ? You must therefore mean taking us out without a deal on WTO terms.

You know that Mrs May can’t possibly take us out without some kind of deal, even if she wanted to, because there is no majority for it in the House.

Despite warnings from other Brexiteers, you and at least 38 of your colleagues voted down the deal at the 3rd attempt. The best we can possibly hope for now is the same deal which, to get Labour support will require a Customs Union, hopefully a temporary one, that we can withdraw from if we win the next General Election.

Many of your Brexit-supporting colleagues supported May’s deal at the third vote because they understood, correctly, that, if it wasn’t voted through then, any form of leave negotiated with Labour would inevitably be a far less satisfactory outcome.

The other possible alternatives still available are even worse – a second referendum or a revocation of A50. Either are likely to lead to no Brexit at all.

I don’t like the deal any more than you but that third attempt was the last opportunity to get us out without even more strings attached.

Reply Of course I mean exit without the Agreement Treaty! We do not need a Commons majority to just leave as we have already legislated to just leave

So why do we keep hearing from just about everyone else the whole time that parliament has said we can’t leave without a deal? Why has that become Mrs May’s mantra too?Just how corrupted has our government become under her leadership.

Reply to reply: How remarkable that even now, legally, we can simply leave (I was surprised to read this). This means that we are at this impasse simply because of political ‘glue’. When I read all the censure of Mrs May, I do have some concern that people do not realize how powerful this particular glue is. I believe they are over-simplifying the issue. Let us suppose Mrs May stands down tomorrow – what then? What will that achieve? How shall we get from there, to a new administration that is truly committed to Brexit – one that so many influential power-brokers (both within and without the party) are implacably against? So perhaps it really does come down to the nuclear option – the People against the Establishment. Like you, I hope that good sense will prevail. But ‘can a leopard change its spots’? There seem to be so many resonances with the Civil War.

Chris……don’t make me laugh. The UK has a reputation to uphold….hilarious. Not any longer, Mrs May and the pathetic antics of about 630 MP voters have managed to lose any respect we once had. Anything goes now…..so we just say ‘We ain’t going to honour that dumb treaty the maniac signed, so what are you going to do about, it, declare war? By the way, we would win it.

JR’s reply is accurate: the Govt could easily take us out without a “deal” if it wanted to – it just doesn’t want to. I am sick of reading the opinions of political journalists and fake eurosceptics such as William Hague who talk about “the numbers not being there” for a WTO exit. This is political rhetoric, trying to build acceptance of a “reality” that has no foundation. Evidently, it has been quite successful.

But as JR says, Parliament has already legislated to just leave. How could they stop this happening? The only way would be to revoke A50, and I can’t see that happening with Farage on the warpath.

Most of the debate about Brexit is just noise, amplified with relish by the media. Cut through the noise (JR’s speciality) and the situation is far less complicated than it seems.

The necessary legislation has been passed, by a huge majority. All we need is a PM who is prepared to refuse to extend, and an exit without a misnamed ‘deal’ could have happened already. Isn’t that right, JR?
But who has actually got the cojones to make it happen?
So far as I can see, not ONE member of the cabinet in parliament. Not one of the current cabinet must be accepted as a new leader!

I have no interest in Mrs May at present. I only want to know when she is going. She has ruined my faith in the party and made sure I will not vote Conservative for a very long time. I am sick of the lies from all parties in general but really devastated at how poor this government has become. The rot has truly set in John. Everyone I speak to isn’t voting Conservative and many are going to spoil their ballot papers if the Brexit party isn’t standing in their area. They simply won’t vote Con/Lab. Your party is seriously in trouble and how party members couldn’t see the writing on the wall a long time ago is beyond me. We could all see it so why are they so dense?

650 MPs highjacked 66 million British people.
Now an Entity, numbers unknown, of the 650 have formed a clique of deceit to “negotiate” one with another between themselves alone. They hope to convince the 650 to follow them in their Wise Counsel.
What next? One or two of the Wise Counsel forming a Party within a party within parties?
Somewhere along the line they hope to justify their non-Entity by getting the 66million to believe their non-Entity knows best. Good luck to them! Concentration of power always works. But in the short time left for them.

It would appear those of us that voted Conservative, in another betrayal by the UK Parliament have finished up with a Labour led Government.

Given Mrs May is only able to move forward in her endeavours in causing the UK to remain in the EU by her becoming leader of the Labour Party, surely that also so means she forfeits the right to be considered a Tory PM.

I have a mental picture. The SS Tory Party with May and others on the bridge all pointing forward to a dark sky with menacing clouds variously labelled ‘EU subservience’, ‘deceit and lies’, ‘globalism’, ‘moral corruption’, ‘authoritarianism’, ‘contempt for the people’.

The ship is surrounded by debris which has holed the ship in many places and the ship is sinking.

Also around it are many lifeboats full of former members.

But all is not lost it seems, Purser Redwood is leaning over the rail and shouting ‘All will be well, we should stick to our manifesto promises. I’m staying, I can change things and can save her, they will soon listen to me’.

Not far away is another ship HMS Brexit Party, approaching fast and lifeboats have turned towards her. Purser Redwood shouts again, ‘Ignore her, look how small she is and how big we are, stay with me’ as the ruined hulk sinks beneath the waves.

prangwizard….quite funny and carries an element of truth. Could I add that Purser is confident he has a lifejacket, as do many others, but many, many do not and have swum so far from rescue that they are going to drown.

Wondering when instructions to go ahead with EU elections were given?
Have read 8th April…two days (I believe) before May went abegging to Brussels for extension.
How can that be??
Apparently govt underestimated cost of said elections…by a lot!

The ERG and other true conservatives have really got to stand up this. When I voted Conservative in the past it was NOT for the illiberal “liberal” left’s identity politics agenda. I do not want anything to do with cultural Marxism which is focused on creating division in society, and on stifling free speech. It happened in the US with the Democrats, but now President Trump and the Republicans and his huge army of supporters are fighting back, thank goodness.

This bullying by the left will only increase until they win, so we must take a stand. If it is left to our Tory MPs then we will be destroyed by the left. The Brexit Party is offering hope to people and may be just what is required to break the back of Marxism and common purpose infiltration in this country.

There is no way the 17.4 million people who voted to leave the EU want this terrible WA/Surrender document voted for in the HOC. If you have read this document, it ties us in to the EU forever. How could our civil servants betray us like this?

John P, our civil servants seem to be cementing their pathway to future employment, allowances and perks, and later gold plated pensions, in the Brussels heartland. They have a goal, and the end apparently justifies the means.

Chris, if you don’t mind me saying, I don’t think it’s direct personal gain that motivates the senior Civil Service on this matter. Rather, it’s a compelling vision of being part of a larger geo-political entity. Understanding this, helps us to see what forces are at play. On the other hand, the Eurosceptic citizenry rightly perceives that sovereign identity and government accountability have been eroded, and will be forfeit. Articulating these concerns is difficult – hence the sniveling accusations of the liberal left – but most of us here, perhaps for various reasons, believe those Eurosceptic instincts are absolutely valid.
The 2016 Referendum result was a surprising vindication, showing that many (especially in England) still recognized and valued our freedom.
The same battle is raging in America. How interesting that anti-Brexit elements over here have a problem with Trump! This whole thing runs very deep, and should be a wake-up call to all of us.

Here’s a clue: Israel was attacked by Palestinian terror organizations with 700 rockets and what do we see on the bus stops in the streets of London?
‘Israel’s killing children again. Enjoy your weekend’.
Meanwhile something’s brewing in the Persian Gulf. We shall not be a free, sovereign nation, if we cannot resist lies and stand for truth. I’m pretty sure the duplicitous EU does not speak for me on this issue!

But Siur John, surely the point is that May’s appalling policy reverses have all been supported by the majority of Tory MPs – many of whom are deliberately attempting to subvert the Withdrawal Act and the Art. 50 letter. The obvious conclusion is that if May goes, the majority of your colleagues would vote for another remainer in sheep’s clothing.
Two candidates proposed by Tory MPs is simply not good enough.
And a way will be found – as it was last time – of extending the contest to the party membership.

After a lifetime of voting Conservative at every election, I’ve subscribed to the Brexit Party and sent a large donation
Nigel Farage has just announced that Ann Widdecombe will be the candidate in the Southwest, you cannot get a better candidate

How naive.
May’s not going to leave the keys to power and No 10 unless they are pried from her cold, dead hands.
It’s her mission to tie us into a BRINO. Who knows what rewards a grateful EU will shower on her?

It’s not enough to get rid of Mrs May. We need to get rid of the draft “Withdrawal Agreement”, that Hotel California BRINO that isn’t withdrawal. The most effective means I have at my disposal is to vote for the Brexit Party in the Euro elections. I urge all fellow bloggers who want a proper Brexit to do the same.

Looking ahead to the next General Election, which will ideally happen in the Autumn, there are some things that you, as a professional politician, need to do. The first thing is to agree a Brexiteers’ manifesto with all of the political forces that want a WTO rules Brexit. It must contain Brexit at its core plus a practical programme of government.

The second task is to organise a Brexiteers Alliance to fight the General election. This Alliance needs to produce a list of approved candidates, one per constituency. The list must EXCLUDE all pro-European Conservatives, and it’s clearly going to be a lot easier if all such candidates are deselected by their associations. I expect you to play a full part in ensuring that these deselections take place.

I’m sorry Sir John, with respect I think you are totally wrong if you think you can influence May and her Govt. It speaks volumes that the PM chooses to ignore your economic talents and keeps you sitting on tbe back benches. Out of principle she would not take any advice from you. You may say you are a Conservative,
(and so am I), but the leadership of the party is no different than Milliband’s policies. What is needed is true Conservatives to leave the sinking ship now and join Farage to sort out British politics.

JR,
I think it’s all much too late for your party, or indeed this present parliament, to recover. Having missed the March date – when a clean WTO withdrawl would have united 17million people behind the Tories – the situation is now a bad joke. I keep hearing ‘we can’t leave without a deal’ – yet the first thing May agreed with the EU was that our long term relationship could not be discussed until after we had left. The WA is not a deal – it’s a lock-in treaty – so leaving without a deal was always the only way we could leave, but inevitably lack of a deal is now being used as an excuse to stay in. The entire situation has become a mix of incompetence, disloyalty, lying and deliberate sabotage of a democratic decision by many MPs and ministers, and I’m afraid any who have retained party membership are regarded as collaborators
Almost everyone I speak to around here is now very angry and cheering on Farage, even many ‘remainers’ sick of the uncertainty. Sadly I doubt he can win a GE but he will put such a dent in the current cozy structure that UK main parties will never be the same again. A customs union/Labour stitch-up will simply make it worse for you all.

Mr. Redwood (sorry, I can’t do that ‘sir’ nonsense – we are not living in a ‘Shrek’ film) – may one ask – what is the position of your local conservative party on Mrs. May?

I seem to recall Wokingham was (slightly) in favour of Remain – is the local party baying for her to step down?

What are their feelings towards you as a committed Leaver? Are they ‘with you’ in terms of continuing to support you as their local MP?

Finally, one must register one’s respect for the fact that in this forum you allow some pretty pointed questions and respond to them. To coin a phrase ‘fair play to you’.

Reply Wokingham voted over 56% for me as their MP on the party’s Manifesto and my personal Manifesto to leave the EU in 2017. The Lib Dem candidate who proposed a second referendum got 15% of the vote. I explained I was against a second referendum at the time. I have been re selected to stand at the next election as the Conservative candidate. There is considerable unease in the local Conservative Association about the delay to Brexit and the state of the leadership, but we have not had a formal ballot or debate on the topic. Many Remain as well as Leave voters have wanted me to vote against the Withdrawal Agreement, as all see it is a bad idea for the UK whatever alternative they might prefer.

I think it is important that people do use Sir John’s title, which he has been awarded for public service. In the (unlikely) event we do actually leave the EU on WTO terms as urged by Sir John, and – against all expectations of a huge weight of establishment opinion – everything turns out to be fine, there should be a public petition for Sir John to be raised at least to an Earl for his intellectual & public consistency. It would be a moment like the 364 economists’ March 81 letter x10. We would never have to listen to bien pensant opinion again & could make our minds up on future political and economic issues from first principles – it will a moment in a century!

Reply Thank you, but I am not seeking an earldom and do not mind what people call me as long as it is not unpleasant.

Sir John, you speak about Theresa May as though she is rational and has honesty and integrity. She has proved that she does not care what happens to the Conservative Party and this country by her blind devotion to the EU. She is either in thrall to them or she has been promised reward for her betrayal. She must be removed by your party immediately so that she can do no more harm to the U.K. We are past the point of no return. If she is not forced out immediately we will end up shackled to the EU indefinitely, and this country will be finished.

What is very clear is that Mrs May has ” lost the plot”, to coin a phrase. We all can recall her “war cry” of “Brexit means Brexit” and a reported 100+ reassuring statements of “We shall be leaving the EU on March 29th”. Neither came to be. Why is that? We cannot get an answer from her because she speaks in riddles and never answers the question when broached.
Such eccentric behaviour is not becoming of a British Prime Minister and her bizarre decisions have made the whole Country an embarrassment to our Allies and to the British people.
In the Private Sector, in many Employment Contracts, are the words “Bringing the Company into Disrepute” which can be a sacking offence. Is there no equivalent within our Political circles?
If there were, the PM could be charged with the offence of ‘Bringing the Nation into Disrepute’ which would result in her sacking from the Government.
Failing that move I can always hope there is a new Oliver Cromwell waiting in the wings.
Mrs May, for the sake of your Party and for OUR Country please go! NOW!

Sir John, You will know by now, that David Lidington is reported to have said today —-

The vote is due on 23 May, but Theresa May said the UK would not have to take part if MPs agreed a Brexit plan first.

Now, David Lidington says “regrettably” it is “not going to be possible to finish that process” before the date the UK legally has to take part.

So we get what most of us want – an EU election vote. Hopefully Mr Farage will have a landslide victory and take more MEPs than before, hell bent on causing as much mischief as possible in the corridors of power.

margaret…..you clearly are out of touch with Mr Farage. Heard of Youtube? Put ‘farage european parliament’ in the search box at the top. The results will give you several examples of him verbal toasting members of the Council in debates. This is what we have had, and can expect more. Also if you want other views on the EU from within, enter Alice Weidel to get similar opinions.

What we want to see now is a leader’s debate before the Euro Elections.

Imagine it : May, Corbyn, Cable and Nigel Farage. Might as well throw in Sturgeon and someone from Wales for good measure and this time the cowardly May couldn’t put up arch-remainer Rudd as a surrogate. ( How did she get away with that ? )

All of them would run a mile before coming face to face with Nigel. It would certainly finish off at least one political career, perhaps more ?

The Labour deal is perhaps a smokescreen so they can then say the talks have failed so we need to have a second referendum, perhaps a 3 way one but due to propaganda and delay they expect remain to win. They will then celebrate the end of Brexit. They believe Nigel Farage won’t do anything much in a general election like for example Ukip didn’t win seats.

I understand that you would like to have a vote on the next leader. But if the WA has been passed then it won’t make any difference, we will be destroyed as a country.

I also understand that you don’t have to join a party just because you agree with their position. But conversely, not to consider doing so would be strange, especially when the party you are in now no longer truly represents your views.

May is clearly not planning to go anywhere soon. The vagueness you described is typical and hen Brady and his committee fail to take action, she will be entrenched at the vert least until her WA is passed and probably, as you say, afterwards to ensure no backsliding on her capitulation.

All that you say in your article adds up to one thing: RISK.

It seems to me that you are risking the country to save your party and your preferred position as a Conservative MP. The safe course for the United Kingdom is to ensure the immediate removal of May by whatever means necessary.

P.S. The hiring of a women-only form to find the next BoE governor by Hammond is beyond the pale. he needs to be gone immediately as well. True conservative values = meritocracy.

For those who might be inclined to give Mrs May more time as PM, like our honest, knowledgeable but timid host, I issue this challenge (you too, Sir John): name me ONE single decision Theresa May has made since becoming PM, which has been a good decision, that has been made in the interest of the future success of our country and has been successful. Just one will do. And then, those of you who, like me, have run successful international companies, please answer this: how long would you have survived as Chief Executive with her record of an unending string of disastrously bad decisions? Sir John, if you were a shareholder in the ‘Conservative business’, you’d have lost all your money and sat and watched it go into administration. How can you possibly be so blind as not to see that, when your posts are so sensible rational and logical? How terribly sad that our politicians have lost all touch with the real world!

Reply I Am not in favour of her having more time to try to put through the WA

Jiminyjim, you are going after the wrong person. There was a good example of the sort of person you should be going after on Sky this morning.

The ViceChairman of the 1922, whom we don’t normally see, was explaining to us that she shouldn’t go, that it wouldn’t make things better, and that he didn’t want the rules changed. He went on to imply his constituents were stupid and ignorant of the facts, which he evidently hadn’t furnished them with. By further implication he must have thought us all stupid and ignorant of the facts. Apparently, we just want out, any old how, and she is giving us that! He finally said he wanted to leave the EU legally, as if just leaving according to our own constitutional arrangements as prescribed in the Treaty of Lisbon, isn’t legal.

It was one of the most inflammatory interviews I have ever heard on this subject and I am not talking about the interviewer!

On the possibility of you and others of like mind leaving the Conservative party I think it inevitable, eventually. The classical liberal section of the party doesn’t sit well with the corporatist section.
It will happen after the working class part company with the socialist Labour party, rendering them powerless.
There are signs of that starting to happen.
I would advise against an immediate departure.

Given today’s developments (May refusing to set an unconditional date of leaving and making the untenable statement hat she will stay until her Surrender Agreement is law)…

Surely it must be clear to all that she is a totally rogue remainer who is intent on selling this country out to the EU.

You must find a way to remove her, however ‘inventive’ you need to be. Surely ow the 1022 committee must change the rules (and yes, I realise that any rule change has to work in future as well as now).

My suggestion is that after winning a confidence motion as May did, for the next 12 months they can only be challenged if a majority of Tory MPs send in their letters – that way, it is clear that she would now lose a VoNC, so there can be no doubt that it is valid to re-visit the issue.

The source of the anger is not that she has failed to get that damned agreement through, it is that she produced it at all.

Surely Brady knows that – what game is he playing here??? In the face of an existential threat, allowing that woman another second is really, really strange. A week from now she may have produce a worse version of the capitulation document and forced it through with Labour votes – how will that save the Conservative Party??? It will ensure that I never vote Conservative again.

She won’t leave until she has done the damage with the WA, we now know that, so hopefully all Conservative MPs must see that they need to change the rules. Pronto.

I was waiting for a report that, at 4pm yesterday Mrs May had to give her timetable for leaving or she would be given her marching orders. I am still waiting for the reports about that 4pm deadline but have heard nothing until reading this, John Redwood’s column, that she has been given yet another week to provide this answer. All I hear about these days are reports about “the metropolitan elite” who are determined to foil Brexit in any way they can. Dominic Greave is, of course, one of the main supporters of this answer to Brexit. I am one of the, OK Northern, Tory grassrooters, along with Nigel Evans who is currently our MP. Do something 1922 Committee, sort this woman out, she is the most, no not hated, that is atoo emotional description, disliked woman in Britain by either left wing, right wing or central.

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[…] “She has hinted she would leave after getting the Withdrawal Treaty through the Commons, without precisely naming a date. I do not believe she would leave as soon as she passed the Treaty, were that to happen with Labour votes. It would be seen by her and the pro May parts of the press as a great triumph to have got it through against all the odds and against the overwhelming opposition of the voters. Why wouldn’t she then say she was needed to handle talks with the EU based on the Treaty? That is why my best option is she takes us out this month, cancelling the European election. If she fails to do so the pressures should become overwhelming for her to go.” (link) […]

About John Redwood

John Redwood won a free place at Kent College, Canterbury, and graduated from Magdalen College Oxford. He is a Distinguished fellow of All Souls, Oxford. A businessman by background, he has set up an investment management business, was both executive and non executive chairman of a quoted industrial PLC, and chaired a manufacturing company with factories in Birmingham, Chicago, India and China. He is the MP for Wokingham, first elected in 1987.